(Business in Cameroon) – For the past few weeks, some Tradex gas stations in Yaoundé and Douala have been offering beignet-haricot-bouillie (BHB), a beloved Cameroonian dish of fried dough, beans, and porridge. This move is part of a partnership with N Sarl, the company behind Tchop et Yamo, a fast-food chain that has been modernizing local street food for over a decade. Known for bringing BHB off the streets and into well-decorated restaurants with Wi-Fi, Tchop et Yamo is now making the dish available at Tradex locations.
This collaboration puts Tradex in direct competition with TotalEnergies, which has been offering French-style pastries and sandwiches through a partnership with La Croissanterie. Tradex is making its challenge clear with a bold slogan: “What’s a croissant when BHB is in the spotlight?” as it prepares to launch a new gas station in Douala in late December 2024 with BHB on the menu.
While TotalEnergies has long attracted customers with snacks, yogurts, and coffee in its store displays, Tradex is countering with “Ma’a épicerie fine,” a local brand promoting Cameroonian-made products. This brand also serves as the main supplier for Tchop et Yamo’s offerings at Tradex gas stations.
So far, five Tradex stations have signed on for the partnership, with three already operational and two more set to open in the Littoral and East regions. The collaboration is showing promising results, with a Tradex official stating, “We’re happy with how things are going, and we plan to expand this to more locations.”
For Tchop et Yamo, this could be the breakthrough it has been waiting for. When the brand launched in 2012-2013, founder Idriss Nguepnang had ambitious plans to open 40 restaurants within eight years. Talks were even held with the Société Africaine de Participations (SAPA), an investment arm of Afriland First Bank, to support this growth. However, instead of expanding, the chain ended up closing several locations in Yaoundé. Now, with Tradex’s nationwide presence, Tchop et Yamo has a new opportunity to reach more customers.
At the same time, Tradex hopes the food offerings will increase foot traffic at its stations, ultimately boosting fuel sales. Industry figures suggest that adding food services to gas stations can increase fuel sales by up to 10%, as noted by Momar Nguer, former head of Total’s downstream operations in Africa, in 2015. With this in mind, Tradex is betting that BHB could do for its gas stations what croissants have done for TotalEnergies—turning them into go-to stops for both fuel and food.
